by: Lindsay Cox
As we get closer to the end of the semester and final exams, studying is becoming increasingly important. No matter where you are on the grading scale, there is always room for improvement and better study habits. The Prospectus interviewed two students from Parkland, and they agree on one thing: taking notes matters.
Hyun Jun Paike, an international student, had this to say about his study habits, “It depends on which subject I’m doing. For example, for math I’m taking calculus one right now and, in the beginning, I just broke down what the instructor was writing. I would try to follow what it was to understand what she is saying to me. When I tried to memorize what she was telling us to do, I didn’t make good grades. As time passed, I was thinking that I should understand the context first and then try to solve the problem.”
For Paike, studying has been a process of trial and error. “After understanding the context, I realized what she was talking about and my grades improved,” he said. “For microeconomics. I was only listening to the lectures and not reading the textbook. I didn’t have a lot of time and it was tiring to read the textbook. During lectures, I could recall what he was talking about the first day, but after a few days, I couldn’t remember despite taking notes. So, I read the textbook online and I started to remember what he was talking about.”
Paike states that reading the textbook is helpful, especially if you compare your notes to what is in the book. He would focus on studying from his book what the instructor emphasized on in his notes.
For memorization, Paike recommends taking a blank sheet of paper, to write down what you remember about a topic and compare it to notes and a textbook. He also recommends keeping extra notebooks and snacks available.
Paike’s advice for studying effectively is to read the textbook and if you still don’t understand the material, meet with your instructor and talk about it. He’s also found that studying with classmates helps. For ESL students, Paike recommends getting a translator or going to D120, and to not be afraid to ask questions.
Harin Cho, a tutor in D120 says that students like to come in right before their exam or right after their exam that they failed. Cho explains, “We ask them to come in way before they have an exam so that we can work on what they don’t know. I try to give them more examples, then I will ask them questions to get them to explain back to me what they are doing and why they are doing it, so that they can see what they are struggling with.”
“A lot of times students don’t know what it is that they aren’t understanding about the material”
Cho emphasized that preparing before an exam is crucial to doing well. “A lot of times students don’t know what it is that they aren’t understanding about the material. Some people come in a week earlier before the exam and that’s a good thing because sometimes they have a lot of questions, so we will have time to go over the problems.”
The peer tutor also recommends reading the textbook, because the textbook will give more examples. She also said that the more problems you try to solve on your own, the better you will understand the material.
If students speak Korean as their first language, Cho can also teach them in Korean. If students come in speaking a language that she is unable to speak, she will use a google translator to help them as much as possible, but it all depends on the subject.
For math, she recommends doing more examples and challenge problems. For physics, she asks them to work on textbook problems, because most professors base their exam questions on the textbook. When reading a textbook, she recommends taking notes or writing on a white board to visualize what’s being written. Cho also asks students to read the material out loud so that they can hear what they are writing.
If you need help with studying or are looking to prepare for finals, feel free to stop by the Center for Academic Success (D120) and ask Cho or her coworkers for help.
